Nursing home or home care – which is better for an elderly person?

Each family decides in its own way how to organize care and supervision of an elderly person if he or she has partially or completely lost his or her capacity. Some do not even want to hear about a nursing home, trying to independently provide the necessary conditions for their loved one. Others look at the situation realistically and understand that there are many advantages to being placed in a private nursing home for the elderly "Long-Livers" in St. Petersburg, including professional care, organization of leisure activities, and round-the-clock monitoring of the residents' well-being. Also you can look at cdpap caregiver new york.

Peculiarities of caring for an elderly relative

With age, a person loses strength, health problems begin, and at some point comes the understanding that outside help is needed. As a rule, it is provided by relatives. Pensioners rarely turn to social services, since employees come only on schedule and, despite the stated principle of free assistance, additional payment is constantly required for the provision of services that are not included in the list of their duties.

That is why they prefer to manage with family efforts. But here it is necessary to take into account a number of features of care for elderly patients at home. 

Necessary:

• having a lot of free time;


• certain practical skills;


• emotional stability;


• ability to establish a dialogue in any situation;


• knowledge of the characteristics of developmental psychology;


• the ability to gently insist on one's own way;


• the ability to act quickly in an emergency.

If Alzheimer's disease or dementia is diagnosed, then caring for elderly patients at home becomes several times more difficult.

How to Care for a Senior with Dementia on Your Own

The process of personality disintegration is irreversible. The rate of degradation depends on many factors, including the quality of care for the elderly person.

Symptoms of senile dementia:

• deterioration of short-term memory;


• difficulty expressing thoughts;


• loss of analytical thinking;


• drastic changes in behavior and character;


• frequent mood swings;


• loss of orientation in space;

Dementia is irreversible and you shouldn't count on any medications to help stop it. The only option is to change the patient's lifestyle to slow down the processes of personality degradation. It is important to support the elderly person's desire to independently perform household activities in order to preserve self-care skills for as long as possible.

Long-term care for a loved one without hope of improvement can lead to emotional burnout, and this is something that must be taken into account by those who have taken on the difficult burden of caring for a pensioner with dementia. The cost of home care for the elderly will increase as the condition worsens, as will the emotional burden on the person performing these duties.

Caring for a bedridden pensioner

In this case, you cannot do without professional skills and special equipment. It is also worth considering that there will be a problem of organizing rest for the person caring for such a patient. If long-term rehabilitation is required after an injury, emotional shock or serious illness, then it is worth considering registering the pensioner in a private nursing home, whose staff has special training in caring for such residents.

Benefits of a Nursing Home for the Elderly

The decision to place an elderly relative in a private nursing home is made when home care is no longer possible for various reasons or when the ward needs special assistance. It is worth considering that modern private boarding houses are focused on comfort and high quality of services, as well as an individual approach to each pensioner, since the number of permanent residents is small. There are other advantages to living in a boarding house for the care of elderly patients.

24 hour care

The staff works as a well-coordinated team, residents are never left unattended. The rooms are equipped with emergency call buttons for staff and assistance will be provided at any time of the day. This is especially important when organizing care for the elderly in a nursing home and for residents with dementia.

Opportunity to communicate

Many elderly people suffer from social isolation. In a private nursing home, care is only part of the job. No less important is psychological support and restoration of communication skills of residents. The staff of the private nursing home for the elderly "Long-Livers" in St. Petersburg establish trusting relationships with new arrivals, help them adapt to new conditions faster and introduce them to roommates. Gradually, the elderly person begins to independently look for interlocutors and such conversations become the best prevention of seasonal depression or mood swings.

Diet food

The overwhelming majority of pensioners have several chronic diseases, and a balanced diet is an essential condition for the absence of relapses. But almost no one wants to cook pickles for themselves, and a monotonous diet and the use of fast food products leads to loss of appetite and a deficiency of nutrients in the body. In a private boarding house, the list of mandatory conditions for caring for elderly disabled people includes providing varied and nutritious food in compliance with the standards and requirements for nursing homes.

Organization of cultural and leisure events

This is another important advantage of a private boarding house for the elderly. The novelty of positive emotions and impressions is necessary to maintain a good mood. At the same time, you do not have to go anywhere, all events take place on the territory of the boarding house. For residents of the home for the elderly "Long-Livers" in St. Petersburg, the following is organized:

• concerts;


• exhibitions;


• meeting interesting people;


• tea parties;


• holidays and special events;


• classes in hobby groups.

Such a rich cultural program does not allow you to get bored, which has a positive effect on the emotional mood of the guests.